Louisville, KY Public Conduct: Aggressive Panhandling (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 71.10, Louisville Metro Code
- Minimum age to solicit
- 18 years old
- Allowed hours
- Daylight only, no bad weather
- Solicitors per lane
- One person maximum
- Maximum fine
- $250 per violation, § 10.99
Summary
Louisville Metro bars pedestrians from panhandling or soliciting from arterial roadways and medians except under strict safety conditions: daylight hours only, one solicitor per lane, no yelling or touching vehicles, and solicitors must be 18 or older wearing safety vests.
No person, other than an occupant of a vehicle, shall be on an arterial roadway, unless otherwise provided by law. Pedestrians ... are prohibited from approaching a vehicle operating on such arterial roadway except for the actions contained in subsection (D) ... Persons must limit solicitation activity to one person for each lane of traffic ... refrain from yelling at or otherwise distracting motorists, and from touching any vehicle ... shall not conduct any solicitation activity before sunrise or after sunset.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-47: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ordinances passed by the Council and approved by the Mayor as of July 1, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Louisville Metro Code § 71.10 bars pedestrians from standing on a median or gore of a designated arterial roadway, or from approaching or soliciting a vehicle there, except within narrow limits: solicitors must be 18 or older, wear high-visibility vests, place at least four orange cones per lane 15 feet apart, limit activity to one person per lane, retreat to safety before the light turns green, never yell at or touch a vehicle, and never solicit before sunrise, after sunset, or in weather requiring wipers or headlights. The section names dozens of covered arterial streets. Violators face the general municipal penalty, up to $250, under § 10.99.
Violations & Fines
Violating § 71.10's roadway or median solicitation rules is a code violation carrying a civil fine up to $250 under § 10.99, with repeat or continuing violations charged per day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is panhandling from roadway medians illegal in Louisville?
Can someone panhandle on a Louisville sidewalk?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Louisville
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